Operating head for compressed fluid flasks



May 27, 1941. c, H, sMlTH 2,243,581

OPERATING HEAD FOR COMPRESSED FLUID FLASKS I Original Filed May 5, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. I

3% i & ATTO EYS.

May 27, 1941. c. H. SMITH 2,243,531

OPERATING HEAD FOR COMPRESSED FLUID FLASKS Original Filed May 5, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 M WM INVENIOR.

, AT NEYS.

Patented May 27, 1941 OPERATING HEAD FOR COMPRESSED FLUID FLASKS Cecil H. Smith, Elmira, N. Y., assignor to American-La France-Foamite Corporation,

Elmira,

N. Y., a corporation of New York Application May 5, 1938, Serial No. 206,125 Renewed April 1, 1940 6 Claims.

This invention relates to the dis-charge of compressed fluid flasks such as flasks of compressed CO2 used in fire extinguishers and systems. It consists in an improved operating or discharge head characterized by its simplicity and its ease and assured reliability of operation. The preferred form of the invention is shown in application Serial No. 179,325, filed December 11, 1937, incorporated in a fire extinguishing system especially suited for use in aeronautic vehicles and the same form of head is described below and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Figs. 1 and 2 are respectively a plan and elevation of a portion of a C02 flask with the invention applied;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section on the line III-III of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 4 is a section on the line IVIV of Fig. 3.

The CO2 flask I is shown provided with a wellknown form of discharge unit 2 including a sealing disc 3, which normally confines the compressed fluid in the flask, and a plunger 4 provided with a disc cutter element at its lower end which when depressed punctures the sealing disc and permits the gas to escape to its intended destination by way of discharge pipe 5.

As will be understood, it is of vital importance that the fire extinguishing fluid in the cylinder be subject to instant, easy and sure discharge at the will of an operator, particularly in the protection of or extinguishing of fires aboard airplanes; and it is the function of the operating head of this invention to actuate the gas release plunger 4 and effect the discharge of the fire extinguishing medium with the requisite ease and reliability.

The head in the form taken for illustration comprises a shallow trough-like housing 6, mounted on the discharge unit and enclosing the upper end of plunger 4i. The body of the housing, which is open at the top, is closed by cover 1. Within the housing is a plunger-actuating member 8 adapted to slide lengthwise of the housing freely and smoothly, and acutely tapered to efiect a strong wedging thrust axially of the plunger with a minimum of effort. The Wedge is operated by cable 9 which is laid in the longitudinal channel iii in the wedge and is attached at its remote end, for example, to a manipulating handle referred to. The pull of the cable draws the wedge from its normal at-rest or inactive position (Fig. 3) to the right-hand end of the housing, the wedging thrust of the taper face of the wedge being applied to depress the plunger as shown in the copending application through a power-multiplying lever ll whereby the efiort, necessary to be applied to actuate the plunger is further reduced. The lever is pivoted on an axle I 2 mounted in the side walls of the body of the housing and carries a roller l3 which engages the under face of the wedge, the plunger being engaged by the round head of a pin [4 midway of the lever. A spring 55 holds lever il in the position shown and by reason of the taper of the wedge tends also to hold the latter in its inactive position.

Housing 6 is screwed on to the discharge unit, as indicated, with the result that it may be turned to permit the cable to be led oif in the desired direction toward the manipulating handle without changing the position of the wedge and lever relatively to the plunger. The housing is locked in such position by set-screw l6.

Means are provided for guiding the wedge and ensuring its free movement; and to facilitate assembly the wedge is preferably confined to move on the cover of the housing. To this end the Wedge is made of T section (Fig. 4) adapting it to run between tracks formed by'the side walls and flanges ll of cover 1. The top face of the wedge engages rollers l8, likewise mounted in the cover, the rollers ensuring the utmost freedom of movement for the wedge in the path defined by the tracks. The nipple 19 through which cable 9 passes is likewise mounted in the cover of the housing; wedge may be applied to and removed from the housing as a unit.

Rupture of the sealing disc is reliably efiected by a'sharp thrust of the plunger rather than a slow depression of it which would bring the cutter into engagement with the disc in such manner as might require the application of further pressure, i. e. a stronger pull on the cable, to puncture the disc or even a second and more vigorous manipulation of the handle. To guard against delay and uncertainty of operation on any such score, means are provided for releasably holding the wedge in its inactive position and yielding suddenly and only upon the application of such-efiort to the cable as will ensure the rapid movement of the wedge with the force necessary to effect the desired thrust of the plunger. Such means may consist of a spring detent 29 mounted on the housing cover and engaging the end wall of the wedge channel Ill. The resistance to movement of the wedge offered by the detent need not be large; in the assembly illustrated a, cable pull of approximately 10 lbs. is ample to operate the head. The effect with the result that cover, cable and V of the detent, however, is to ensure effective operation, as described.

In the sides of the housing are reset openings 2|, normally closed by covers 22, through which a pointed tool may be inserted to engage a hole 23 in the wedge to draw it back to its detentheld position after the head has been operated.

I claim:

1. An operating head for disc-sealed, carbondioxide flasks comprising a discharge unit secured to the flask and containing a plunger provided with a disc-cutter, a housing secured to said unit, a lever fulcrumed within and at one side of the housing to bear on the plunger for forcing the cutter into the disc, a power-applying member movably mounted in the housing engaging the free end of said lever to depress the same and said cutter and a pull cable for operating said member.

2. An operating head for disc-sealed, carbondioxide flasks comprising a discharge unit secured over the flask outlet and containing a plunger provided with a disc-cutter, a housing secured to said unit and containing a lever iulcrummed at one side of the housing to bear on the end of the plunger for forcing it into the disc, an actuating member movably mounted in the housing and having an inclined surface engaging the end of said lever to depress the same, and a pull cable for operating said member.

3. An operating head for disc-sealed, carbondioxide flasks comprising a discharge unit secured to the flask and containing a reciprocatory plunger provided with a disc-cutter, a two-part housing having its base part secured to said unit with a lever fulcrumed at one side of the base part to bear on the end of the plunger, a cover part for said housing, an actuating member movably mounted on said cover part and in engagement with the end of said lever to depress the cutter, and a pull cable for operating said member.

4. An operating head for disc-sealed, carbondioxide flasks comprising a discharge unit on the flask containing a plunger provided with a disccutter, a housing secured to said unit, a lever fulcrummed within the housing to engage the plunger at an intermediate point of the length of said lever and provided with a roller at its free end, an actuating member movably mounted in the housing and provided with an inclined surface to engage said roller and depress said lever, a pull cable for operating said member and spring means pressing the roller toward said inclined surface.

5. An operating head for disc-sealed carbon dioxide flasks comprising a discharge unit on the flask containing a plunger provided with a disc-cutting element, a housing secured to said unit, an actuating member movably mounted in the housing to operate the plunger, a cable attached to said member to pull it to its discopening position and said housing having an opening located adjacent said actuating member extending along the path of movement thereof adapted to accommodate a tool for restoring said member to its initial or normal position.

6. An operating head for carbon dioxide flasks having a sealing disc and a fluid release unit including a plunger provided with a cutter element for said disc, comprising a shallow trough-like housing mounted on the unit and enclosing the end of the plunger, a plunger-actuating wedge mounted for rectilinear movement in said housing, a pull cable for operating the wedge, and a lever mounted in the housing intermediate of said wedge and plunger with its free end engaged by said wedge and its middle part engaging said plunger for transmitting the force of the former to the latter to out the sealing disc.

CECIL H. SMITH. 

